It’s not easy to accept that you’ve been chosen to do something great. When I say chosen, I mean that God, the universe, or whatever you believe in has given you a vision of doing something great.

Your heart tells you that you were meant to realize this vision, but your fear and self-doubt hold you back. In my own journey, I’ve realized that in order for that vision to come true in your life, you first accept that you were chosen.

MS. FRIEDA

I remember when I first started going to a local speech club to help me become a better public speaker for my job. At the club, I met Miss Frieda, who was in her mid-50s, very slim, and had an upbeat personality.

After my first speech at the club, she was the first person to say "Gene, you have a God-given talent. You have the ability to tell stories and motivate people. You are chosen to do this."

At first, I thought the lady was crazy, but after I started winning speech competitions, I began to wonder if her assessment was true. I was having difficulty accepting that I was chosen to be a speaker.

The idea that I could motivate people, which was a vision I had, seemed impossible. I was so frustrated with my disbelief that I would become angry with Ms. Frieda whenever she called me a motivational speaker because I hated the fact someone else believed in me more than I believed in myself.

I LOST MY COOL WITH MS. FRIEDA

Ms. Freida introduced me to some new members of the club one day by saying, "This is Gene Mosley, he is going to be one of the top motivational speakers in the world."

Though I smiled after her introduction, I was furious. On my way home from the club, I called Ms. Freida and said "I'm sick and tired of you saying I'm going to be a great motivational speaker. Stop saying that!"

She was silent for 10 seconds then said "Gene, if you don't like me saying that you will be a great motivational speaker, I will not say it again." I felt awful when she said that because her voice was laced with sadness and disappointment.

PROFESSIONAL SPEAKERS SAID WHAT!

Even though I continued to struggle with disbelief, I decided to continue working on my speaking skills. This led to me being invited to join a professional speaker's organization by a professional speaker who saw me win a competition. I attended a workshop at the organization after being a part of it for several months. The workshop taught us how to monetize our messages and get speaking gigs.

At the event, I was surrounded by highly successful speakers and I felt like an imposter. Many of the professional speakers who had seen me speak came up to me and complimented me on my storytelling ability and said I would be a successful speaker. But it didn’t register with me because I had trouble accepting that I was chosen.

Finally, I’d had enough of my disbelief, so I left the room with the other speakers and stood outside by myself. I told myself, "Gene, the reason Ms. Frieda and these professional speakers are telling you that you have the potential to be a great speaker is because they believe in you more than you believe in yourself. They see that you have been chosen to speak, and it’s time for you to accept that."

And that is exactly what I did. I accepted that I have been chosen to be a motivational speaker. And because I made that decision, I am now on the path to reaching my full potential.

I'M SORRY

Months later, I would present at my first paid speaking engagement. After my speech, I called Ms. Freida to apologize. When she answered, I said "Ms. Freida, I'm sorry for getting upset with you when you told me I would be a great motivational speaker. I was frustrated because you believed in me more than I believed in myself. I'm grateful you did believe in me because your belief forced me to find the confidence to believe in myself."

Ms. Frieda responded, "Gene, I believed in you with the hope that one day you would believe in yourself. I'm glad you have finally accepted your life's calling."

A GREAT CHOICE

One of the best choices I ever made was accepting that I was chosen to be a motivational speaker. This helped me to build my self-confidence, self-belief, and it gave me a sense of purpose.

Nowadays, I use my voice to motivate others on stage, through online videos, books, and workshops. All of this is possible because I Accepted That I Was Chosen.

So, what have you been chosen to do? What vision do you have that is pulling at your heart? Whatever it is, I want to encourage you to Accept That You Were Chosen and take action towards that vision because You Are WORTHY TO BE GREAT!